All of them pleaded guilty this month to organizing the protest, which had been banned by the police and took place Oct. 1, Chinas National Day. As they led a march on Hong Kong Island, clashes broke out across the city in some of the worst protest violence that year.
Hong Kong media tycoon and outspoken pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to more jail time Friday over his role in an anti-government protest in 2019, as authorities step up a crackdown on dissent in the city. Lai and nine others were charged with incitement to take part in an unauthorized assembly when they walked…
China Accuses U.S. of Meddling After Antony Blinken Opposes Jail Terms for Hong Kong Activists
On 5/28/21 at 9:57 AM EDT
China accused the U.S. of meddling in its affairs on Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed U.S. opposition to jail terms for Hong Kong activists who have been arrested and charged for pro-democracy activities.
Blinken asked authorities in Hong Kong to drop charges filed against those for merely for standing for election or for expressing dissenting views as police crack down on dissent. Hundreds of thousands of protesters in the city participated in unauthorized pro-democracy rallies in 2019.
AFP
Authorities in Hong Kong on Friday handed down additional jail terms to veteran rights activists and pro-democracy politicians for taking part in an illegal assembly on Oct. 1, 2019.
Former lawmakers Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Leung Kwok-hung were handed 18-month prison sentences, along with peaceful protest organizer Figo Chan.
Detained pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai was handed a 14-month sentence while on remand pending trial under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while former lawmakers Cyd Ho and Yeung Sum, were jailed for 14 months, alongside former League of Social Democrats chairman Avery Ng.